The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Evacuations after Irma wreaks havoc
Many British nationals await rescue as foreign secretary defends government’ s response
Britons are being evacuated from the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma caused devastation in the region.
expats and tourists have spoken of their terror at the most powerful storm ever in the Atlantic Ocean.
Many British nationals are working to piece together their lives from the ruins of the storm.
Britons are being evacuated from the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma caused devastation in the region.
Expats and tourists have spoken of their terror at the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, and shock at the extent of the damage.
The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday after battering Florida with 100mph winds and torrential rain overnight.
Recovery and aid efforts are under way in the worst-affected islands, while many British nationals are working to piece together their lives from the ruins of the storm.
Others on the island were less fortunate, including the family of British DJ Laura Elliott, who are surrounded by a “collapsed jungle” and awaiting rescue.
Ms Elliott, 38, who was working abroad when the hurricane hit, said
“There are very strong winds and heavy rain battering down. We can hear the wind battering the door and trees”
she fears her fiance and two young children may run out of supplies in the coming days.
Sir Richard Branson has shared images showing the devastation caused by Irma on his private Necker Island.
The billionaire businessman, who was pictured in front of torn-down buildings and uprooted trees, said he knew the people of the British Virgin Islands would “bounce back stronger than ever”.
Around 2,350 UK holidaymakers in Cuba are being evacuated by Thomas Cook.
In Florida, 10ft storm surges overwhelmed roads and buildings, cutting off Florida Keys from the mainland.
Residents and holidaymakers were ordered to stay indoors until the storm had passed.
Matt and Zoe Caveney, from Liverpool, were forced to spend much of their honeymoon confined to their hotel room at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Mr Caveney, 28, who married Zoe, 22, on August 5, said: “I’ve never seen rain or wind like it in my life.
“With Orlando being in central Florida we aren’t getting it as bad as the coastal towns, but there are very strong winds and heavy rain battering down. We can hear the wind battering the door and trees outside.”
James Stuart, who is on holiday in Orlando with his mother and brother, said they were “holed up helplessly” and the weather was “unbelievable”.
At least 34 people are reported to have been killed as Irma made its way across the region, while thousands have been left homeless.
A resident of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands told how she was struck by a washing machine as her house was battered by the storm.
Sarah Penney, a UK citizen who was born and raised on Tortola, said the washer-dryer could have taken her with it as it was lifted off the ground.
The 33-year-old was saved by her friend, who managed to push the appliance away and into the direction of the wind.
She said: “I sincerely would not be alive, I would not have survived Hurricane Irma, had he not been there.”
Ms Penney was sheltering with her eight-month-old baby, her mother, 70, and friend, Chouby, at home during the storm when the group were forced to retreat to the bathroom.
Along with her friend, she attempted to secure the nursery as an alternative shelter, but they were stopped when high winds pulled the glass from the windows.
The door of the nursery was sucked shut by the pressure, trapping the pair inside, but they managed to escape.